Fan Fiction ❯ Almost An Angel ❯ Dancing Queens and Candy ( Chapter 7 )

The Homecoming game went just about the way everyone hoped it would. Our team, the Tigers, won. Majorly. 56 to 7. It was a great game.

James was great, too. He scored 21 points on his own… in the first half. And 12 in the second half. No way were the coaches going to yell at him after a game like that.

And on the topic of James being great, I have to add the fact that he looked great in his football uniform. I mean, like, drop-dead gorgeous. The main thought going through my mind as I watched him out on the field? "Tight pants. Yum."

I had somehow convinced Michael to go to the game with me, even though he'd spent almost an hour beforehand complaining about how much he didn't want to go.

"We've got an hour until the dance. Are you going to go with me?" I asked him as we got into my car after the game. We'd parked close to the stadium, and since we were some of the first people to get to our car, we got out in about five minutes.

"I don't think so. I've never really been to a school dance before," Michael finally said. I'd started to think he wasn't going to reply.

"You haven't? Really? Man, now you have to go! I can't believe you've never been to a dance!"

Michael turned his head and gave me this weird, "What are you talking about?" type of look. Maybe I was overreacting, or over-dramatizing, or something like that, but I really wanted him to go to the dance with me. Like, majorly bad.

"What would I do there?" Michael asked me after a few more seconds. We were almost to my house by that point. "I can't dance… Or at least not to the music that's going to be playing. I don't really have any other friends at school besides you, so it's not like I can just sit down somewhere and just hang out, so…"

I just kinda blinked at that. I mean, he did have a pretty good point, and I wasn't all the way sure of what to tell him. I had to be realistic about the situation.

"Well…" I said, pulling into my driveway and parking. "You can hang out with me. We don't have to dance or anything, and as far as friends go… You know how that's going right now." I laughed. "I don't think most of them would even talk to me right now, especially not at something as big as the Homecoming dance."

We both got out of the car and walked into the house without talking. It was pretty quiet, which I thought was pretty weird for a Friday night. The brats should've been screaming or running around or something else loud like that, but there was, like, nothing.

"Woah. It's, like, seriously quiet." I said, stating the obvious. Michael and I walked into the kitchen and looked around for a note or something; it didn't take long to find one.

"Boys,

Mom and Dad"

I stared at the little piece of paper for a few seconds, rereading it, before I finally said, "I hope Grandma's okay."

"If your mom took the kids, then I'm sure she is," Michael said reassuringly, giving me this slightly sympathetic look that still made me feel a little stupid.

I nodded. "Probably so. I'm still kinda worried… But, whatever. Mom will tell me if something major comes up, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, or whatever the saying is. I'm just gonna take advantage of it."

"What do you plan on doing?"

I shrugged. "No idea; I figure I'll come up with something by the end of the dance though, so it's all cool. Now come on, we need to get ready."

Before he could try and talk himself out of having to go, I grabbed Michael's hand and hauled him up the stairs to our rooms.

* * *

It only took me about twenty minutes to get dressed and ready, since I'd picked out my outfit that morning. Long sleeved white dress shirt, black dress slacks, and dress shoes. Yeah, it was fancy, but it was school colors, and we were going to a victorious Homecoming dance, so I figured it was okay.

Michael, on the other hand, was practically a disaster. With only thirty minutes left until the dance was going to start, he walked into my room, sat down on my bed, and made an announcement. "I can't go. I don't have anything to wear."

I didn't know whether to laugh or punch him. "Come on, Michael. You have to have something. I mean, don't you have church clothes or something?"

He laughed at me, looking surprised. "Davis, I hate to break it to you, but I haven't gone to church since I was a kid and a neighbor made me go with her every week. I could wear what I wore for picture day last year… Except for the minor fact that it's at my house, not here, and I'm definitely not going back there just to get one outfit."

I sighed and scratched my head. "Just borrow something from me. You can fit my clothes, remember?" I suggested.

"What do I wear?" he asked, not looking convinced. "No offense, Davis, but most of your clothes aren't exactly my style."

I would have argued, but he had a good point again. Our styles weren't completely opposite, but they were still different enough to where it would look and feel weird to switch. I knew what he meant.

"It doesn't matter. Just go dig around until you find something you like, okay? It'd be best if it's school colors, seeing as we won the game and all, but I guess it doesn't really matter."

I gave Michael a little push, and he started looking for something like I'd told him to. He didn't look very enthusiastic, but I didn't really expect him to be, so it was okay.

* * *

We left close to twenty minutes later, giving us just long enough to get to the dance on time. Michael was wearing a mix-and-match style outfit he'd thrown together out of clothes I didn't even realize I owned, but he looked good anyways.

Black mesh T-shirt that I couldn't identify as having ever belonged to me, but I guess it did. Really baggy black jeans that were way too long on him. Black duster I'd never bothered wearing. Black combat boots, but those were his, not mine. A fingerless white glove on his left hand, and a black one on his left hand. He looked like a punk. A gorgeous one, but still a punk.

"I look like a punk, but I guess it's better than prep…" he said, looking himself up and down in my full-length mirror. "Okay. Let's hurry up and go."

I shrugged and went downstairs in a not quite hurry; I couldn't wait to get to the dance. Michael went down the stairs at a much slower pace, scowling the entire time. Apparently he still wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea of going.

The ride to the school seemed to take forever, and I couldn't tell if that was good or bad.

* * *

We got to the dance a few minutes late. People were crowded around the door trying to get in, some trying to get in without paying. From the back of the crowd, it would have taken Michael and me a good ten minutes to actually get far enough to pay, but my good luck continued to help me out.

"Davis! Michael!" James said, walking towards us from inside the school. Everyone moved to make way for him; he was the quarterback, after all. "Come on, I'll get you in fast. Just follow me."

I shrugged, gave Michael a look, and followed James. Some people glared, some gave us weird looks, some even called us queers, but we got to the front of the line in a few seconds anyways.

"Thanks, man," I said once I'd gotten my hand stamped to show I'd paid to get in.

Michael stepped up behind me and added, "Thanks, James."

This huge grin popped up on James' face, and he winked. "No problem, boys, no problem. Now, sorry to disappear on y'all so soon, but this is a victory dance, so I have to mingle with the public. I have adoring fans waiting for me, you know!"

With that, James made his way into the section of the commons area where people were already starting to dance. Michael and I stared after him.

"So. We're here. Now what do we do?" Michael asked me as we let ourselves get pushed further into the room.

"Most people dance. We don't have to; we can just go sit at one of those tables and talk." I pointed across the huge blue-and-white tiled room to a cluster of grey tables in one corner. There were already a few people sitting over there.

Michael shrugged. "Okay. Whatever." He looked bored already, but I didn't let that bother me. I was determined to make him have fun, whether or not he wanted to.

"So… You people call this stuff music?" Michael asked me once we were sitting down at an otherwise empty circular table. N'Sync was blasting out of the speakers. Michael and I were facing the people dancing, and Michael looked like it was the funniest thing he'd seen in his life.

I chuckled. "Yeah, that's pop music. Most of them love it. Some of them are like me; they don't like or dislike it, so they just go along with it. The ones that don't like it will show up later, if they decide to come at all. You won't be able to miss it if they do."

"I don't know what they see in it. What's so great? It's too… Happy."

"That's why they like it. They aren't really as happy as they pretend to be, so they listen to music that lets them pretend to be happy. You do the same thing, ya know, when you lock yourself up in your room listening to Element 80 or Kittie or Slipknot."

"Yeah, I guess I can understand that… But it's still stupid. At least my music sounds good." I could tell that he did understand, but that didn't make him like the music any more. I just shrugged; it was good enough for me.

For twenty minutes, we just talked about the people we saw walking around us. Just basic gossip; both of us knew stuff the other didn't.

"Jessica Karington?" Michael asked, looking at one of the cheerleaders.

"Had an abortion last year. Doesn't want her parents to know she isn't still a virgin. Sleeps around with anything male, so long as it has money," I supplied.

I looked around, waiting to see someone I didn't really know. I girl with black lipstick and equally black hair walked by. I didn't even know her name, so I just nodded towards her.

"Darcy Meadows. Not quite Goth, not quite punk-it just depends on her mood. She doesn't really know where she wants to fit in, so she just kind of floats. She's cool; everyone I know likes her, so she doesn't try to conform any." Michael said, watching her walk by. "I think she's bi, just for the record."

I took another look at her while she just stood nearby, glancing around the room like she was trying to find someone. Besides her black lipstick, she also had on deep red eye shadow and black eyeliner. Lots of eyeliner. She looked almost Oriental with it on. Pair the makeup with a low-cut black spider-web print blouse and a trailing black skirt, and she was not what I'd call normal-looking.

"Hmm. She looks like a freak. No offense or anything," I observed after a few seconds.

"She doesn't look like a freak, she looks great. That's what I call fashion, not the stuff those prep girls wear." He looked pointedly across the room at Jessica, who was indeed dressed decidedly preppy.

"Dude, let's not fight about this or anything, okay?" I said, seeing where the conversation was trying to go. Michael was trying to start a fight so I'd let him go home, but that just wasn't going to work.

Michael sighed and threw his hands up. "Okay. I get it; this calls for a new strategy, right? Fine. Let's make a deal… You let me go in half an hour if I'm still not having fun, or else I start crying my head off and telling people you dumped me."

So, he wanted to play dirty. I hadn't really expected that of him, but I was up for it. Besides, if he was really that miserable, I'd let him go without making a big fuss anyways, blackmail or no.

"Okay. It's a deal." We shook hands on it, and I started to try in earnest to get Michael to have a good time.

* * *

Half an hour later, I let Michael go home. I just handed him the keys to my car, told him I was sorry for dragging him to the dance, and watched him walk away. He really did look miserable, and I felt terrible for him. It was mostly my fault that he'd come, after all.

"Is he going home?" James asked from over my shoulder. I turned around to face him.

"Yeah. He wasn't having fun; this isn't his thing." I said, looking James in the face. He just frowned a little.

"I'm sorry. That sucks." He paused for a few seconds. "So, what're you gonna do now?" He smirked at me. "You don't have anyone to play with, now that Michael's gone."

I grinned up at him. "Well, I guess that means that I'll have to find someone else to amuse me. I wonder if I can find anyone to volunteer?"

"Oh, I think you can. You wouldn't even have to look very hard." He took a step forward. It wouldn't look suspicious to a passerby, but I could tell that he was teasing me, and I loved it.

"Really? How very lucky for me. And just who do you have in mind to be my playmate for tonight?"

"A very naughty little boy named James Sanchez," James whispered walking past me and towards the Coke machine a dozen yards or so away.

"How interesting…" I said to nobody in particular as I watched him go. I had the feeling that the night had just gotten a lot more interesting.

* * *

It was one in the morning and the dance had just ended. Everyone was flooding out the doors, just as eager to leave as they had been to get in earlier. There would be after-parties going on at several different places; I had been personally invited to two already, even though the majority of the football team considered me "un-cool" at the moment.

I was personally in no major hurry to get out of the school, so by the time I to the middle of the parking lot, most of the others were long gone. Which was good, considering the fact that a grinning James was perched on the hood of his car.

"Hey there, little boy. You want some candy? I've got some right here in my pocket…" He said softly, leaning forward and leering. "Come on. All you have to do is let me come to your house and play."

I smiled back at him. "My Momma says I'm not allowed to take candy or rides from strangers!" I thought for a quick second, then my smile took on what I'm guessing would be called an evil tint. "She also told me that I'm not allowed to keep stray dogs that follow me home."

"Did she really, now? Well. There are exceptions to every rule. Rules are meant to be broken. What Mommy doesn't know won't hurt you. Just take your pick of old sayings, and you have nothing to worry about."

"Okay. If you say so… You're a big kid, so I guess you know what you're talking about, huh. Can I have my candy?"

James shook his head. "Nope. You have to wait until we're at your house. Then I'll give it to you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

We both smiled. "Okay. But my bedtime's real soon… We'd better get home before I get in trouble, you know?" I said. He nodded.

"Of course. I don't want that to happen, now, do I?" With that, he slid off the hood and got into the already unlocked car. I made my way around to the passenger side and got in after him.

* * *

"Does this mean you're really taking me back?" James asked me as we walked into my house. I locked the door behind us; when I turned around to look at him, his lips met mine.

"Seems that way, doesn't it?" I replied, shoving my keys into my pocket and wrapping my arms around him. We kissed a few seconds longer before I pulled back.

"What?" he asked.

"My room. Come on," I whispered into his ear, heading for the stairs. We hurried up as quietly as we could; I didn't want to wake Michael up, and James had no way of knowing that my family was gone.

We made it to my room and over to the bed. I had been right earlier; my night had gotten a lot more interesting.